Match-fixing virus must be stopped now before English football is dragged under

When a Premier League striker misses a sitter, fans fill the air with laughter
or invective but few seriously believe he is trying to keep the score down
because betting mobsters were on the phone that morning.

When an assistant referee fails to spot a ball crossing the line, supporters react with anger or amusement but few genuinely think the man with the flag is actually on the take.

One of the many selling points of the Premier League in the global rights market is its reputation for honesty, for a perception that any mistakes made by players or officials stem from incompetence rather than illegality.

It is this image of sporting integrity that helps keeps the broadcasting billions rolling in.

It is hard to countenance the possibility that match-fixing is rampant in English football, certainly not at the elite professional levels, yet the price of continued prosperity and probity is eternal vigilance.

Even if the sea looks warm and inviting sharks can still lurk beneath the placid surface.

Players of lower-league clubs have reported approaches from illegal bookmakers while four from Accrington Stanley and one from Bury were suspended in 2009 for betting on a game they played in.

A player falling towards penury might be tempted by those who deal in corruption. Any country that still permits such bets as first throw-in and first corner is vulnerable.

“It would be naive and complacent of those in the UK to think such a criminal conspiracy does not involve the English game and all the football in Europe,’’ warned the director of Europol, Rob Wainwright.

Of the 380 games raising concerns of corruption, only one involved an English club.

The English authorities might take discreet pride from reading the numbers of games allegedly fixed elsewhere according to Europol: Turkey 79; Germany 70; Switzerland 41; Finland 32; Hungary 20; Belgium 19; Croatia 18; Austria 16; Bosnia 7; Slovenia 7. This also shows that the menace is on England’s front-step, threatening to seep under the door.

Those in charge of English football were annoyed at Wainwright’s dramatic announcement in The Hague on Monday morning. One called Europol “publicity-seeking”.

The FA was privately furious at not being alerted in advance by Europol that it was about to unleash such huge claims.

FA officials subsequently spent much of Monday fielding calls from the public, the media and from people within football concerned about the allegations.

Whatever their anger, they must react. Such is the seriousness of the claims in Europe and elsewhere, and the need to safeguard the domestic game, that the FA needs to take the lead in cajoling all parties to work together to tackle the problem.

Europol claimed that one Champions League match involving an English club raised suspicions; it did not name the game because of ongoing judicial processes which frustrated the FA.

Europol needs to liaise more with the FA and the Premier League, providing details and advice on how a problem cursing other countries can be avoided in England.

The Premier League employs specialist agencies to track any betting concerns, and educates academy players about the perils of gambling.

It is also lobbying government for a sport betting right, essentially a formal commercial relationship with the gambling industry that would allow it to levy fees which could then be invested in monitoring services.

It could also insist that certain bets, particularly first throw-in and first corner, be removed from the market.

English football receives millions through legitimate individual partnerships with respected, information-sharing bookmakers, so it should also be aware that such a global industry also contains rogues.

English football has encouraged gambling and cannot ignore the dangers. So far, English football has not been afflicted by the extent of corruption seen elsewhere but this is a virus that can spread quickly through texts and the internet.

The FA is always mindful of avoiding any perception of it playing the role of the moral guardians of the game, a stance that elicits accusations of arrogance around the world, but it could offer to host a summit to confront match-fixing.

The FA’s 150th anniversary should not simply be a time for Champagne and Champions League finals. The FA’s chairman, David Bernstein, has done much good in his unfortunately short term of office.

A conference at Wembley, including Europol, would enhance further his legacy.

The German police should be invited. They have investigated and charged suspects, sending 14 to prison for a total of 39 years.

Uefa and Fifa should also be on the guest list and urged to increase referees’ pay for a start.